Process for reducing iron oxide ore to its metallic form



June 21, 1932. w w PERQY 1,863,804

PROCESS FOR REDUCING IRON OXIDE ORE TO ITS METALLIC FORM Filed Aug. 28, 1928 .K a) A Q? INVENTOR W WPercy Z'egenera I'or ATTORNEY Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM W. PERCY, OF SEATTLE, WASEINGTON PROCESS FOR REDUCING" IRON OXIDE ORE TO ITS METALLIC FORM Application filed August 98, 1928. Serial No. 302,502.

This invention relates duclng iron oxide ores and, more to a process of reespecially,

improvements in the process disclosed in patent application Ser.

No. 114,939, filed by me June 10, 1926, now Patent N 0. 1,7 92,507

The object of my improvements, generally stated, is to simph fy and expedite the deoxidizing of iron oxide ore in a more efficient and economlcal manner than hltherto.

A specific object of the vide apparatus wherein the the reducing gases is attained by the use coal, as well as coke.

invention is to proregeneratlon of of Another specific object of the invention is to utilize a bi-cellular regenerator which permits the use of coal and the coking of the same in the process itself.

Other specific objects the invention will description.

and advantages of appear in the following Single-cell gas regenerators as heretofore used in reducing 11011 oxide ores have proven unsatisfactory mainly because the temperature of the gases, which are taken from the bottom of a'regenerator, is below that reqlpired (between 900- C. t

ing chamber.

and 1000 C.) for e proper treatment of the ore in the reduc- In the present invention a two-cell gas regenerator is emplog ed. Each of-the' cells is provided interme late its height with a grate for a bed offuelf from, say, three to five feet in depthwhich are alternately replenished with small charges of fuel. The

cells are connected so that, 1n a run, the

gases to be regenerated enter the regenerator at the top of one cell through which they descend and ascend through the other cell passing downwardly and the successive upwardly through fuel beds to leave the regenerator at the top of the second cell-the hottest part of the regenerator-and heat requisite to In the blow thus provide the reducing gases. period an enters simultaneously the bottoms of both of the regenerator cells and travels upwardly through the respective fuel beds therein to be discharged through the cell stacks.

It will thus be seenth must travel successively through both cells at th in two streams for a distance one-half that traveled by the gases during the run.

The accompanying drawing illustrates in longitudinal vertical section apparatus for carrying out the present invention.

sald drawing, the reference numeral 2 represents a reducing furnace, or chamber as hereinafter termed, through the throat 3 e upper end of which is supplied preheated ore; the reduced iron being withdrawn from the bottom of the chamber as through a gate-controlleds'pout 4.

employ gas regenerators 5 and 6, two being shown. Each of said regenerators is divided as by a partition 7 into cells 8 and 9 which are communicatively connected adja cent the bottoms thereof by means of a passage 10.

At a short distance above said passage the respective cells of a regenerator have provided therein grates 11 and 12 which serve to divide the cells into upper and lower com partments 81, 82 and 91, 92, respectively. 13 is a gas conduit leading into the lower portion of the reducing chamber 2 and has branch inlets 14 and 15 which extend from the top of the upper compartments 81 and 91 of the cells of both regenerators, said inlets being provided with valves 16 and 17, respectivel A condu1t 18 for the return gases from said reducing chamber extends from the up r portion of the latter and is provided with branch outlets 19 and 20, extending into the top of the upper cell compartments 81 and 91 of said regenerators.

21 and 22 represent valves for the branches Y being provided with valves 28 and 29, respectively. The lower compartments 82 and 92 that is, the spaces below the grates of the respective regenerator cells are connected, as at 30, te -branches 31 and 32 of a pipe 36 through which air is supplied from a blower 33 into the regenerator cells selectively subject to the control of regulating valves 34 and 35 provided in said pipe branches 31 and I cells-as indicated by 32, respectively.

In the cycle of operation, each of the regenerator cells contains a bed of fuel. Assuming that a generator has been cut outthat is, completed a run-and is about to be put into blow, a cell, as 8 for example, is supplied with a small additional charge of coal, whereupon air is forced through the the unfeathered arrows with respect to regenerator 6-to eifect the heating of the well as the other fuel.

The coal is thus caused to give ofi hydro carbons as gas, but which distlllation of the hydrocarbons will not have been completed at the termination of the blow. of the blow (which is governed by the temperatures throughout the fuel bed) the regenerator is put into run, as represented with respect to the regenerator 5.

During said run the gases from the reducing chamber enter the regenerator 5 through its cell 8 and travel downwardly through the fuel bed on grate 11 passing into cell 9 and thence upwardly through the incandescent fuel on grate 12 to be delivered from the top of cell 9.

From which it will be seen that the distillation of the coal is commenced during the blow, and that the incoming gases to be regenerated a carry the hydrocarbon gases downwardly through the fuel bed in cell 8 to continue the coking process in this cell.

At the end of said run period 'ust described, fuel is charged into cell 9 o the reinto the bottom of cell generator 5 which is then put in blow (as represented with respect to theregenerator 6) both cells being blown simultaneously. Near the end of the second blow period of the regenerator 5 the cell '9 thereof receives a charge of coal and the regenerator put back into run. In this second run the gases enter cell 9 and travel downwardly therethrough 8 and thence upwar ly to be returned from the top of cell 8 to the reducing chamber.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the coal charged into cell 8 has undergone two blow periods and one run period during which time the coal has become coked, and that the cells of a regenerator are replenished by coal, alternately, at the ends of the successive runs.

In the coking process stituents of the coal exist and are liberated as gas.

as hydrocarbons Bycoking the coal,

moreover, in a regenerator I utilize the major portion of these hydrocarbons by causing recently charged coal as I At the end the volatile con-- the hydrocarbon gases to travel downwardthrough the coal which has already unergone coking.

It is well known that when these hydrocarbon gases conta t solid carbon at a temperature at 1000 (1., the carbon is deposited as carbon and the hydrogen is liberated as free hydrogen. The hydrogen thus liberated enters the gas stream and becomes a reducing gas, while the deposited carbon builds up forming coke, drocarbons from contaminating gases. thermic condition in the reducing chamber, exothermic reaction being essential to the fiective operation.

It is to be noted coke additional small charges of coal and make use of the volatile portion of the coal driven ofi by a second cracking of the h droearbons forming free hydrogen and soli car- In the improved method of regenerating the following reactions take place: first, a reaction of coking in which the hydrocarbons are expelled; second, a cracking of the hydrocarbons into free hydrogen and deposited carbon; and, third, a reaction of reduction and the regeneration of the gases after contact with the ore.

In this locality coke costs about $9.00 a ton, while coal costs approximately $3.00 a ton. Local coke contains approximately 20 per cent ash and approximately 77 per cent fixed carbon. the remaining 3 per cent being composed of sulphur and small amounts of hydrocarbons; while coal contains about 12 per cent ash, 50 per cent fixed carbon and 35 per cent volatile matter. The volatile matter consisting-of about 15 per cent to 20 per cent hydrogen, or approximately 6 per cent of the coal is hydrogen.

' As a reducing agent hydro en has several the reducing advantages-first, as a de-su phurizer; second, as a dehosphorizer; and third, as a dethat in my process I first in this way preventlng the hy- Hydrocarbons act to cause an endoas the hydrogen contained in the hydrocarbon gases exists as free hydrogen after the cracking of the hydrocarbons.

What I claim, is,

1. The process of reducing iron oxide ore, which comprises treating the ore in a reducing chamber to the action of highly heated carbon monoxide and free hydrogen reducing gases, conducting the used reducing gases in part or in whole successively through I.

coking coal fuel bed and a coked fuel bed llf in a two-cell hydro-carbon fueled regenerator for regenerating the same, and returmng the regenerated gases to the reducing chamher, the gases to be regenerated being withdrawn from the upper portion of the reducing chamber and conducted to the upper portion of the regenerator, the regenerated gases being withdrawn from the upper portionof the regenerator and conducted into the lower portion of the reducing chamber.

2. In the process as defined in claim 1, wherein the course of the gases to be regenerated is downwardly through the coking coal fuel bed and upwardly through the coke uel bed. I

3. The process of reducing the iron in iron oxide to its metal-lie form, comprising the treating in a regenerator of the used reducing gases by passing said gases downwardly through a coking coal fuel bed, returning the gases to the top of the rcgenerator by passing through a coke fuel bed, and gases in a highly heated condition into the reducing chamber.

4. In the reducing of iron oxide ore, the method of regenerating the used reducing gases which consists in-passing the gases in a run period through two fuel beds in opposite directions, replenishing said fuel beds with coal alternately, such added coal being converted into coke during the cycle of operation of the regenerator, and reversing the directions of the travel of the gases through the fuel beds in the successive runs of the regenerator.

5. In a process of reducing iron oxide ore, comprising the regenerating during a run period of the used reducing gases from a re-.

ducing chamber in a two-cell regenerator,

each cell thereof containing a fuel bed, replenishing each of said fuel beds alternately with a charge of coal, regulating the direction of the flow of said gases to cause the same to pass downwardly through the coal replenished fuel bed in one of the cells and to pass upwardly through the fuel bed of the other cell and recondncting the gases to the reducing chamber, said run periods being effected intermittently with succeeding blow periods.

6. In the reduction of iron oxide ore, wherein is employed a two-cell gas regenerator, each of said cells containing a fuel bed, the process of replenishing the fuel beds alternately with a charge of coal, causing air in the blow to pass through both of said fuel beds in coking the charge of coal in one of said beds, then regenerating the used reducing gases by causing said gases to pass successively downwardly through the fuel bed including the coking coal and upwardly through the other fuel bed.

this 17th Signed at Seattle, Washington, day of August, 1928. y

' WILLIAM W. PERCY.

conducting the 

